1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method as well as a device for making available at least one fuel, in particular for engines of motor vehicles; in particular this invention relates to a method as well as a device for making available fuel in form of hydrogen.
2. Description of the Related Art
In view of the increasing shortage of the fossil energy carriers ressources and by reason of the more and more pressing becoming necessity of reducing the climatically relevant discharge of carbon dioxide (═Co2=so-called “greenhouse gas”) as well as other climatically relevant emissions, hydrogen can be considered as one of the most promising energy carriers of the future.
Hydrogen reacts by direct combustion as well also as in fuel cells with oxygen to pure water and releases by this reaction a high usable energy without emitting carbon dioxide as, for example, carbon containing fossil energy carriers do. This fact makes hydrogen very attractive with respect to a lasting environmentally acceptable energy supply.
During the combustion of hydrogen with air in internal combustion engines and in gas turbines (no pure oxygen), only very low to negligeable emissions develop if the combustion is carried out appropriately. Hydrocarbons and carbon monoxides can, if there are any, only develop in traces, this being due to the combustion of engine oil in the combustion chamber of internal combustion engines. Emissions of nitrogen oxide (NOx) increase exponentially with the combustion temperature and cannot thus be influenced by appropriate process control.
Since now hydrogen offers more freedom than other fuels, a manifest reduction of the nitrogen oxide emissions compared to mineral oils or natural gas is possible as far as a low combustion temperature is achieved (for example with a high lean mixture). Particle and sulphur emissions will be completely avoided, except slight rests originating from the lubricants.
When using hydrogen in fuel cell driving gears with low temperature fuel cells, all the emissions of polluants are completely avoided. As a reaction product by the current production from hydrogen and air oxygen, there only develops demineralized water. The use of hydrogen in fuel cells of higher temperature level causes—compared with conventional heat machines—emissions which are lower as far as by a factor 100.
Combined with water, hydrogen exists, due to the closed water circuit, in unlimited quantity on the planet earth. Thus, differently from the fossil fuels, it cannot come to a ressources shortage of hydrogen.
However, as for hydrogen one has to consider that its making available is not quite simple to realize at places and in situations in which it is just required at all. In this context, so-called hydrogen service stations are proposed again and again at which a means of locomotion, in particular a motor vehicle can be supplied with hydrogen. This being, it must be taken into account that such hydrogen service stations are not common at all, at least nowadays, but on the contrary that they are rather an absolute exception so that this proposal is not accessible at least to a mass market.
Furthermore, one has to consider as to a drive with hydrogen that the carrying along of hydrogen on board the means of locomotion is not only unpractical and expensive, because of the high need of storage volume required, but is also relatively dangerous because it is not safe.